Client stories

My name is Jelly and I first came to Lort Smith when I was just six weeks old.

I'm what people call a white domestic medium hair cat.

I had my sister, Bean, with me, but we were classified as "orphans". Those first six weeks were pretty tough on our own. I was so young, and we just never knew where our next meal was going to come from.

You can imagine how happy I was when I was welcomed into Lort Smith. The first night in the Adoption Centre, I could not believe it. I was given a beautiful meal and I was so warm and comfortable. I went to sleep with a full tummy for the first time ever.

A bit wobbly

It soon became obvious to everyone I met that I have what they call wobbly cat syndrome. I have had it all my life and I did not really see it as a big deal. I am not in any pain and I am not bothered by it at all. But I must admit, I have always had lots of falls, and I find it tricky to coordinate my movements.

Anyway, the carers at Lort Smith (you know how professional they are) wanted to check me out in detail to make sure it was nothing more serious. As it turns out, there are no other major problems.

Life in foster care

I am now in foster care with one of the Lort Smith team, named Simone.

Simone and her family really know how to care for cats. I am still with my sister, Bean – I am so pleased about that, because she and I love to muck around.

There is also a dog in the house where we live. Bean was a bit scared of the dog at first, but he's never worried me – he's a house dog and seems pretty harmless really. Anyway, I have heaps of energy and I know I can run faster, so why should I worry?

I have heard people say I have lots of "catitude" – that's a joke as far as I am concerned. I love to play, especially with Bean, and I just hate it when our carer says it's time for playtime to end. Of course, I also love to nap during the day. Whenever I can, I get Simone to let me have a snooze on her lap. I just paw at her feet or try to climb up her leg to get onto her lap for cuddles and a snooze.

Overall, Lort Smith has been absolutely brilliant for me. Starting off as an orphan and now living so comfortably, it has been a dream come true for me.

Thank you for reading my story. I hope you will consider making a donation to Lort Smith, now that I've told you how well they looked after me.

From Jelly xx

• Living with cerebellar hypoplasia

My name is Miller and I am a six-year-old blue brindle American Staffordshire terrier cross. For the first five years of my life I was with the one family, and I did not know any other life.

Then suddenly, early last year, my carers separated, and I had to go. The break-up was really sad for me, because I had always been very happy.

When I arrived at Lort Smith, I could not believe what was going on. I have always loved people, but suddenly there were so many new sounds, smells, faces and other animals. It really threw me.

Learning new things

The main thing that made me nervous at Lort Smith was mixing with so many other dogs. This was new to me and I was not that keen. I was really quite scared.

I would bark and growl and air snap at other dogs to let them know who was boss, but the professionals at the kennels did not like that. They started giving me some special training. They even wanted me to be toilet trained.

I found training very boring at first, but the trainers knew what they were doing and, I have to admit, they are good communicators. Plus, the training also included treats, and I loved that.

I heard two of the trainers talking one day, and they said they thought I had responded really well to obedience training and that I was no longer too excitable around other dogs. I was pleased the trainers were happy, because they are very caring people.

After a while, I was quite happy to walk on a nice loose lead close to other dogs. I was always more interested in, and focused on, the people around me.

A few false starts

Before long, I was adopted. But not for long. My new carer lived in an apartment and it was too small. Fortunately, he quickly realised what was wrong and took me back to Lort Smith.

Then I was taken to a second carer. This time I was shockingly lonely. I knew so many faces at Lort Smith, and when I went to this foster home I felt totally isolated. I chewed a piece out of their front door, just for something to do, and they got upset. That suited me, because the next day I was dropped off at Lort Smith. I felt like I was "home" again.

Over the next couple of months, I went to two other foster homes. They were both good, but they didn't last, for different reasons.

A painful ear

Then I got a really serious pain in my ear. It was so painful I had to keep shaking my head to get relief. The Lort Smith vets put me on some ear medication. But that did no good. They eventually decided I had to have a general anaesthetic. It was very scary, I can tell you.

In the operation, would you believe, they found four grass seeds embedded in my ear canal? Apparently, one of these seeds was very close to my eardrum. So I was very lucky. If I had not been with Lort Smith, I may have had to live with that pain forever.

My people

As of now, I am living with a new family and they are just great. I am so happy. This family has a beach house and we go swimming quite often. I just love the water, especially in warm weather.

It started as a foster care arrangement, but it looks like they are going to adopt me. I am really hoping these people want to keep me, and I can settle into a new permanent relationship.

It's been a long haul for me at Lort Smith, but looking back now, I am really grateful they have kept being kind to me and had faith in me. My first carer left me. I know what that feels like.

I was not that keen about going to Lort Smith at first, but now looking back, I have to admit it has been fantastic for me. I am well aware that if it were not for Lort Smith, I could still be living with that pain in my ears, and I could well be on the streets. And I know for sure that would not be much fun.

Love from Miller x

PS. If you make a donation, it will help more animals just like me.

Tiny kitten Gizmo was put in a garbage bag with his mother and three siblings and cruelly thrown from an upper-floor Melbourne apartment block. Against all odds, he was the only survivor of the fall.

Good Samaritan Mario was visiting a friend when he had to step around a garbage bag on the footpath.

He noticed the bag moving and heard a noise coming from inside. Mario thought it was probably a rat, but opened the bag to check, and was shocked to find a family of cats.

The mother cat and two or three of the kittens had not survived the fall.

Mario heard a faint sound and noticed that one kitten was alive, barely, trying to feed from its mother. He gently cradled the kitten in his hand and rushed it home, gave it some warm milk and snuggled up with it to keep it warm for the night.

In safe hands

The next morning, Mario brought the kitten to Lort Smith. Adoption Centre General Manager Serena Horg took the kitten into our care. While he certainly wasn't out of the woods, she was hopeful the little fellow would survive.

"I was appalled to think that anyone could be this heartless," Serena says. "There's absolutely no reason for it. If people have animals they don't want, we can always help them."

Gizmo spent a few days at Lort Smith being thoroughly checked by our vets, and miraculously he appeared to be healthy. We then arranged for him to go to a loving foster home, where he got the TLC he deserved.

Gizmo grew bigger and stronger every day in foster care, and was well enough to come back to Lort Smith for adoption.

Lots of people were keen to adopt this incredible little man, and we found him a wonderful home.

Gizmo is now happy and healthy, living with another cat named Cleo, who was also adopted from Lort Smith. They've found the most wonderful, loving home and become the best of friends. Gizmo's carer says he's a very happy, tubby tabby who loves Cleo, cuddles and biscuits, and brings lots of love to their little family.

Four film students have put Lort Smith on the world stage with their short film, Adoption Pending.

The ten-minute short film follows the adoption journey of George, a friendly two-year-old staffy cross husky, as he adapts to the Lort Smith shelter while waiting for adoption. The emotional film captures some of the amazing work that happens at Lort Smith each day. A special mention must go to Senior Animal Welfare Officer Mandy Doolan – a natural talent!

The project was a collaboration between producer Jordan Montgomery, director Liam Fouracre, sound recordist Elly Thompson and editor Khalid Naim. The team spent over a week observing the everyday, behind-the-scenes work of the Lort Smith Adoption Centre.

"The goal was to document an adoption journey from a dog's point of view, capturing just a small part of what animals experience during the wait of finding a new home," says Jordan.

"The staff treat every animal like their own, and show a great deal of kindness and sensitivity. It was truly heart-warming to witness the deep connections they form, no matter what situation each animal is going through."

The film has screened at film festivals around the globe, including the St Kilda Film Festival, Student World Awards and Top Dog Film Festival.

We're happy to report that after two weeks at Lort Smith, George was adopted by a smitten Karina.

"George hasn't let the fame of Adoption Pending go to his head and still loves nothing more than chasing his own tail," laughs Karina.

Grab your small-sized popcorn (it's a short film, after all) and watch Adoption Pending on Facebook.

All Winny has ever wanted is a quiet lap to sit on.

She was adopted from Lort Smith in 2016, but sadly her owner's health declined, and she came back to us the following year. By then, at eight, she was considered a senior. She had a few lumps and bumps, and she wasn't going to be running any half marathons. But she had the sweetest heart.

In 2017, we found her the perfect match: a couple aged 95 and 86, with two of the most perfect laps.

The joy of an older pet

Older pets are often overlooked, but they have so much to give. You skip the puppy phase, so your shoes and remote controls are safer, and there's less training to worry about.

Lort Smith supports adopting rather than buying. Many puppies and kittens sold in pet shops or online come from puppy farms or backyard breeders, where profit comes before animal welfare. Adopting gives an animal a second chance, and helps reduce the number of unwanted animals in our community.

We believe people can find their perfect match at any age, and so can pets.

• How to adopt
• Mila, worth the wait